Hugs and Tears
by TheGirlOfMyHeart
Summary: FFNfic#1: What if the Tenrou arc never happened and Lucy had a different reaction to her father's death? Pretend that he sent her birthday gifts to her every year and that they'd gotten a bit closer. "Hey, Lucy, how about this: a single tear that'll come out of your eyes will be equivalent to a ten-second hug. This'll be valid for two days only. How does that sound?" NaLu.


**Hugs and Tears**

written by thegirlofmyheart

—**.;.—**

Numerous drops of water coalesced, forming into a wide puddle on the cobblestone sidewalk.

It was raining heavily right when she got out of the building. Her head was bowed, therefore concealing her brown eyes. Her blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and judging from the way she walked, she was hesitant of every step she took, like she was afraid of falling, falling onto the ground and never getting back up again.

Footsteps sounded behind her, but she paid no heed to it. She felt slightly disoriented, considering the silent, suppressed reaction she had earlier at the guild when she received the unexpected news. She kept on walking at the same pace even though she sensed the footsteps getting closer and closer.

A hand grasped her shoulder firmly, but she didn't flinch for she knew solely by the warmth who it was already.

"Lucy," the person breathed out.

She did not reply, but she did stop walking.

"Lucy!" he repeated, jolting her out of her trancelike state. "Lucy, are you okay?"

She trembled slightly and he felt it.

"Lucy…" he said softly.

"Natsu…" she whispered.

Her voice was shaky, he noticed. Gripping her shoulder even tighter, he spun her around to face him and he caught sight of the heart-wrenching expression on her face.

His jaw clenched. He hated seeing her like this. "Lucy, I know it's probably insensitive of me to say this, but your father… He doesn't deserve your tears. He doesn't deserve any of your love. He was a jerk, and he forced you to do things you didn't want to do."

She stared at him with mild anger crossing her features. But before she could snap, he added, oblivious, "But he made up for it, right? When he lost all his fortune. He started to see you as just Lucy, not Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, his daughter. He started to appreciate what you wanted to be, and he respected your decision. I knew that he loved you, but he just didn't know how to express it. While you, you just don't know it yet, but you love him, too. Because he was your father. And with that, I can say that he was really a good guy, a good husband, and a good father. He may have died, but I know that he will always be with you, Lucy." He flashed her a grin, an aura of cheerfulness radiating from him despite the somewhat dreary rain dripping from his pink locks and his face. "Am I right?"

Her eyes widened and an expression of wonder was etched on her face. Then tears started to spring from her eyes.

"N-Natsu…" she stammered, shaking slightly. "Th-Thank… Thank y—"

"Nah, no need for that!" he said jovially. Then his expression turned instantly into concern. "Hey, why're you crying?"

She sobbed. "B-Because… Because my father… I j-just think that… He died too s-soon…"

His face scrunched up in worry. No. She shouldn't cry. He hated seeing her cry.

He forced a cheerful grin on his face. "Hey, Lucy, how about this: a single tear that'll come out of your eyes will be equivalent to a ten-second hug. This'll be valid for two days only. How does that sound?"

She blinked at him. He reached out and wiped away her tears.

"Let's start now."

As if on cue, a lone tear escaped from her left eye beyond her control.

Grinning, with his right hand still on her shoulder, he pulled her to him and placed his arms around her in a tight embrace.

She could hear the smile in his voice as he said playfully, "Ten seconds, okay?"

And for her, those mere seconds are enough.

—**.;.—**

**End** of _Hugs and Tears_

—**.;.—**

* * *

Finished! Please drop a review. I'm sorry for all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I am Italian, you see…

This is my first Fairy Tail fanfic, so please tell me what you think! Was it boring? Were things happening too fast? Was it hard to understand? Was it too cliché?

_Thanks for reading, btw!_


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